The Foothills 187 Air Cadets is one of many local organizations with a longstanding tradition in the local area.

Lieutenant Dave Moretta says this year marks the 75th anniversary for air cadets nationally and next year is special for the local squadron.

"It's our 75th next year and we've got a number of major events planned, we're doing a Freedom of the City, that's the first of three major events that we're going to be doing over the next year and a bit to mark 75th anniversary," he says. "We're hoping to be able to get some alumni together, to come back, one of those events will be a fundraising dinner, get some of those people that have been cadets over that 75 years to come together."

Lt. Moretta says they have just under 60 members right now and have been as high as 70 and are planning to get the program back to that level. He says there's a lot of interest in the program right now, in large part because of the economy.

"The program is a remarkable example of your taxpayer dollars at work," he says. "The program is free, there are no charges, the training is all free, the travel is all free, we get  everybody in the program up in the air and it's all free."

He says they focus on leadership and citizenship and training in an environment similar to the military but it's not part of the military.

Moretta says they have ad members go on to the military, two former members are at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario, but it's not a prerequisite.